


A Sound of Blunder

by Redlance



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Dinosaurs, F/F, supergirl and dinosaurs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 18:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20764604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redlance/pseuds/Redlance
Summary: When Supergirl and company are involved in a mishap with a time machine... Well, what's the worst that could happen?





	A Sound of Blunder

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Foxfire141](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxfire141/gifts).

> This seemed like a good day to finally post this one. XD Written for my lovely wife for her birthday a while back.

* * *

It doesn't matter how it happened. At least, that's what Winn keeps screaming at the people who keep asking; namely Alex and Lena. Which is awkward, because he can't just say, “You wouldn't understand,” because they would and would then proceed to tell him where he went wrong and, no. He's just going to keep screaming.

Just like he's screaming right now. At the top of his lungs, tablet clutched in one hand and tucked partway under his arm to protect it, as he runs as fast as his legs will allow toward the thick expanse of jungle that lies sprawled out ahead of them. And really, he'd rather be running away from the place that likely houses all manner of things that will either crawl on him or try to eat him, or both, but it's the only option he has.

Because there's a dinosaur chasing them.

Siats meekerorum, to be exact, and while Kara is doing her very best to slow the thing down without hurting it, the thump of its huge feet has beads of sweat trickling along the back of Winn's neck.

Or maybe that's the ungodly heat and humidity. He may never know.

“Left, Winn! Into the trees!” Alex calls, her voice almost lost under the sound of the Siats' bellowed roar. Winn, panicked, veers right. “Your other left!” Alex barks and he corrects his trajectory. He's swallowed by tall trees that tower high overhead and have trunks so thick that it would take two dozen protesters to surround it. They've grown tightly together, so the group has to weave in between the trunks as they run further into the jungle and away from the Siats now roaring its disapproval at not being able to follow.

Sure, it could probably bulldoze its way through a few trees, but that would expend so much energy and it probably wouldn't get very far, and Winn has never been so glad to find out that dinosaurs are just as lazy as he is sometimes.

Dinosaurs.

**Dinosaurs** .

Once they've reached an acceptable distance, Alex slows to a stop. Lena does the same, bending at the waist with her hands on her hips as she drags in ragged breaths. Winn stops, too, breathing hard, and leans against a tree with his eyes closed. He tries to pull in some deep, calming breaths through his nose but ends up gasping and emitting small, shrill sounds of lingering terror.

He hears the sound of Kara touching down and opens his eyes to find her staring at him. Arms folded across her chest, head tilted to one side, not looking quite angry, but sporting her patented Kara Danvers frown, and he knows he's in for it.

Except 'it' never comes. Or rather, it's a different kind of 'it'.

Kara bursts out laughing.

Winn blinks, mouth falling open as his jaw goes slack.

“Are you seriously laughing right now?” Alex asks, panting just a little, and sounding utterly unimpressed. “We were almost just eaten,” she throws an arm out, finger pointing in the direction they'd just fled, “and you're laughing?”

Kara scoffs, her eyes crinkling as she brushes Alex's words off with a chortle.

“We were not almost just eaten, Alex.” Kara glances down at the sleeve of her suit and makes a face as she wipes off a giant-sized gob of drool, flicking it towards the ground.

Winn stares at her, his expression, he presumes, much the same as Alex and Lena's; one of confused disbelief.

“Did you hit your head on one of its  **huge** teeth?” Alex bristles, leaning towards Kara with only her upper body and holding up a hand, fingers splayed. “It was trying. To eat. Us.”

Kara huffs and rolls her eyes.

“I wouldn't have let that happen.” Her assurances don't seem to have much of an effect on Alex, though. “I would have just picked him up and flown off with him.”

“Was that an option?” Winn half yells, half squeaks, words flying from his mouth on the wings of unfettered anxiety. “Why was that not done if that was an option?”

“I didn't want to hurt him.” Kara picks a few twigs out of her hair. “Besides, what if I accidentally dropped him on top of another dinosaur and erased doughnuts from the future. Or... our present? How should I say that?”

“Kara!” Alex yells, a bit too loudly for Winn's liking and he glances around to make sure she hasn't attracted any unwanted attention. Which is any and all attention, currently. Kara looks towards her sister. “We are stuck in the past with dinosaurs.”

“I know!” Kara gasps, floating up into the air and cupping her hands around her face. Her wide, brilliant smile is still visible though, and Winn doesn't know what's happening anymore. “Isn't it awesome?!”

“Could the change in atmosphere possibly be affecting her?” Lena straightens, brushing her hands over her blouse and glancing towards Alex. “Could the sun-” Alex, who is suddenly waving an arm wildly in Kara's direction and sputtering, mouth moving silently as she tries to get her words out.

“I know what's happening.” She's actually wagging a finger at Kara now and Winn looks on as Lena tilts her head, puzzled, watching as Kara lands again and takes a step towards to her sister. Kara lets out a “what” that tousles Alex's hair, but does nothing to deter the finger-wagging. “You-you were  **obsessed** with dinosaurs as a kid.”

“I was not,” Kara blows out a huff of air from between her lips, scepticism heavy in the sound the action emits. Her blue eyes wander away from Alex, looking instead towards the foliage hanging overhead.

“Oh, you so were.” Alex shifts from foot to foot, planting her feet more firmly on the ground in a stance that exudes defiance. “I can't believe I forgot about this. You got so excited when you first found out about them, you begged Mom and Dad to take you to the library and then you literally borrowed every single one of the books they had on them. Oh! And you had those plastic dinosaurs figures all over your bedroom-”

“I did not!” Kara is quick to argue, her eyes darting to Lena before returning to her sister. Alex narrows her eyes. “They weren't everywhere.” Kara visibly deflates a little and Winn finds himself feeling bad for her.

“Okay, look,” he gestures to Kara with his tablet before realising he's waving around one half of the thing that can get them home, and then quickly holds it against his chest. Kara flicks blonde hair over her shoulder and turns her attention towards him. “From one dino-nerd to another-”

“I'm not-” Kara starts to argue again, but Winn stops her short with a wave of his hand.

“As cool as dinosaurs are, and as much as I wanted to be Alan Grant when I was a kid,” he pauses, then adds, “still do, actually,” he sees Alex roll her eyes, “we need to get out of here as soon as possible.” His tone is imploring, one arm held out towards Kara in a show of desperation.

“Oh, great,” Alex's says, her breathlessness due to the exasperation she's obviously feeling, if the expression on her face is anything to go by. “Now we have Supergirl,” palm flat, she indicates Kara, then Winn. “And States-the-Obvious Boy.”

“Man,” Winn automatically corrects, then realises what she's said and furrows his brow. “Hey! I'm trying to help, okay?”

“Enough!” The demand comes from Lena, a tad too loudly for Winn's liking, but he understands the necessity. The three of them turn to her in unison and find her wearing an expression somewhat akin to Alex's. “Do you really think this is the time for in-fighting? We're currently surrounded by multiple things that can kill us, or worse-”

“Worse?” Kara questions, raising her eyebrows.

“There are things out here that can paralyse us, then leave our bodies immobilised and in excruciating pain for the rest of our lives.” Lena shrugs. “Personally, I'd take death over that.”

“Ah,” Kara winces, sheepish. “Fair point.”

“So, if it's okay with all of you, I’d like to focus on fixing the thing that landed us here in the first place. Winn?” Lena holds out her hand and Winn reaches into his back pocket. From it, he retrieves a circular object, a little bigger than a compact mirror, and walks it over to Lena.

“It... didn't look good.” He deposits it in her hand and she immediately touches her thumb to the oval-shaped indent on the front of the matte black device. The oval flashes blue and flips open, and Winn lets out a small shriek as sparks fly into the air to greet them. He clears his throat and tries to ignore the heat of eyes on him. “I think something, um, might have shorted out.” Lena glances up at him from under her lashes.

“You think?” With a sigh, Lena flicks her gaze over the object.

The inside is the same matte black as the outside, with the bottom part housing a single small button, a keypad, and three LED lights that are currently devoid of any signs of light or life. The top half almost looks like a mirror, has the same kind of smooth surface and sheen, but hosts no reflection. When it catches the light, it shines, opalescent and other-worldly.

A thin wisp of smoke floats out from a vent hole above the keypad.

“We need to open this up.” Lena looks to Kara, who stares for a moment before nodding, and Winn brings a hand to his head, tangling his fingers into the front of his hair in frustration.

“Great,” Alex mutters. “This is just great.” With a raise of her eyebrows and a sarcastic smile, she inclines her head towards nowhere in particular. “I'll go see if I can find a stegosaurus with a screwdriver.”

*****

Alex has been through and dealt with some pretty extraordinary circumstances while working for the D.E.O.; it's kind of the tagline of the organization. She was trained to expect the strange and unusual, things that come part and parcel when dealing with aliens. Even growing up with Kara hadn't prepared her for a lot of things, but then Kara is different from a lot of the aliens Alex has encountered.

Sure, her teenage years had taught her how an out of control alien might behave; Kara hadn't landed on Earth and magically learned how to control her new powers overnight. There had been a lot of burnt curtains and scorched walls thanks to her heart vision. Many sleepless nights that Kara had spent crying because she couldn't turn the sound down on the world. Her x-ray vision had scared her so badly, she refused to leave the house for a long time, and it gave her chronic headaches until she got it under control.

So, there were accidents and near misses. Alex learned very quickly how to dodge an errant heat vision blast. But even with all that, there was no way she was ever going to be prepared for this.

Being thrown back through the timeline to when dinosaurs ruled the Earth is a new one, even for her, and she's really feeling the whiplash on this trip.

She'd left the other three to fiddle with the device that had landed them here but hadn't strayed far, deciding to do a slow sweep of their perimeter. Her steps are cautious and careful, quiet, and she has her sidearm drawn, the barrel pointed safely down towards the ground. She flicks her gaze towards the trees to her right, then her left, and listens carefully before moving on.

She hears a crunch and feels her body jerk in surprise, but looks down to find a broken twig beneath her foot and rolls her eyes.

“I'm telling you I can do this!” She hears Kara say, adamant and stubborn, and the tone of the words makes Alex holster her gun, though she leaves it unclipped. Always be prepared. She turns back towards the group and readies herself to either defend her sister or talk her out of doing something reckless. With Kara, Alex never knows.

“I'm not saying you can't.” Winn is arguing back as Alex approaches. “I'm just saying it's risky.”

“What's risky?” Alex asks, raising her eyebrows and glancing between the three of them. Kara is standing close to Lena, while Winn, and now Alex, stand opposite them. Lena shrugs in Alex's direction, obviously having missed something.

“I think I can use my heat vision to open it up.” Kara holds up the device that brought them here for emphasis.

“Kara, you're brilliant!” Lena’s eyes brighten as Alex watches, her smile – the one Alex has only ever seen Kara be on the receiving end of – so wide it looks like it's reaching for her ears. And seeing her reaction, Kara’s face lights up and she grins like she's just been told her story is getting the cover of CatCo Magazine.

Which, if she were to report on this, it definitely would. Or it might definitely get her fired. Alex can't decide.

But that's a passing thought. She's more keenly focused on Lena and Kara’s interaction, and how ridiculous they both are.

Because you don't need x-ray vision to see what's going on between them. The glances, the dumb smiles, the giggling. The way Lena’s fingers linger against Kara’s as she takes the compact time machine out of Kara's hand to look it over - as if she didn’t co-invent the thing – and how Kara’s cheeks turn a faint shade of pink.

It would be funny, Alex thinks, if it weren't so infuriating.

Besides, they don't have time for flirting or goo-goo eyes.

“You wanna maybe...” Alex's voice draws their attention and she makes a loose fist, extends her index finger, and twirls them both in a way that says, “let’s hurry this up.” Then she presses her hands to her hips and widens her eyes, expectantly.

“Alex!" Kara’s admonishment is accompanied by a deeply furrowed brow, as her gaze shoots to Lena. “Don't be rude.”

“I was talking to you,” Alex points out with a wry smile and feels a small sense of satisfaction when the colour adorning Kara’s cheeks darkens.

“My point still stands,” Kara mumbles, folding her arms in what is usually her ‘Fighting-Supergirl’ pose, but now looks more ‘sullen teen’ than anything else.

Alex almost laughs.

Lena hands the Very Expensive Gadget back to Kara with another mega-watt smile and Alex sees Winn glancing in her direction out of the corner of her eye. She turns her head to find him looking at her, his lips turned down as he tries to force his own smile into submission. He ends up looking kind of like a muppet, which almost makes Alex laugh again. Winn nods his head towards Lena and Kara, waggling his eyebrows, and Alex shrugs her shoulders. She waves a hand out in front of her to silently convey what she's been thinking for a while now: they're ridiculous. Helpless, even.

Winn doesn't quite get it, though, or maybe he's just being silly, because he nods towards the pair again and raises his hands to make his index fingers ‘kiss’. Alex shakes her head rather vigorously and covers her eyes with her palm, hopefully indicating blindness.

Winn mouths a silent, "oh,” and then they're both abruptly forced to pretend as though nothing has just transpired when Kara finally stops looking at Lena and turns to them. Lena steps out from behind Kara to stand beside her.

They look good together, Alex thinks.

“Okay, so,” Kara pauses to huff a laugh, her lips curved upward but their shape a little uncertain. “I haven't done a lot of precision stuff beyond the Jeremiah-approved burning my name into fences back home.”

“You set that fence on fire,” Alex reminds her and Kara shoots her a glare.

“Once!” Kara shakes the device at Alex for extra emphasis. Winn visibly cringes. “I did way better the second time.” She's almost pouting and Alex decides to let it go. For now. “If Kal can use his heat vision to shave, then I can definitely use mine for this.” Alex watches as Kara looks down at the object in her hand, pressing her thumb to the oval indent and letting out an uneven breath when it glows blue and flips open. “I can totally do this.”

She's psyching herself up. Alex knows this. Kara has never handled failure very well and, with Lena present, she suspects her sister is feeling the pressure a little more than usual.

Alex thinks it's hilarious.

Cautiously, Winn takes a few steps backwards, his forearms crossed against the tablet he's holding to his chest like a precious newborn baby. Alex stays put, as does Lena, and Kara pulls in a steadying breath before letting loose with one of her more destructive powers.

Alex watches intently as Kara uses her heat vision to score the rim of the bottom half of the device, turning the metal orange, before cooling it instantly with her freeze breath. She goes back and forth like this in short bursts, being perhaps overly careful, but maybe there's no such thing as that in this situation.

She never tires of seeing Kara use her powers. Even after all these years, seeing Kara in action still amazes her. Makes a sense of pride swell within her. Kara has come so far in the time she’s been on Earth and, contrary to what some people might say or think, that isn’t all down to the fact that she’s Kryptonian.

Yes, her Kryptonian DNA has certainly aided Kara in many aspects of her life, but that isn’t what brings out the full force of Alex’s pride.

It’s the things people don’t notice, or that they take for granted. Like how Kara now speaks perfect English, as well as eleven other languages, or how she’s learned to trust herself and the decisions she makes. It’s things like Kara’s confidence, something that had been almost non-existent when she first came to live with the Danvers, and how it’s grown.

Maybe it’s because Alex had been fortunate enough to witness her grow into the woman she has become. Someone who is strong beyond her sun-given powers and cares so much about the people close to her. About the strangers she saves and then never sees again, but often wonders aloud about how they might be doing.

Kara has become everything Alex’s parents had hoped she would. Alex only wishes her father had been around to see it.

She knows that Kara is going to help bring him home, though, but that's a thought for another day.

After a few more agonizing seconds and one last whoosh of air, there comes the sound of cracking ice and Kara holds the device aloft with no small amount of glee.

“I did it!!" She's grinning like an idiot, so proud of herself. Alex grins right back at her and applauds until Winn shushes her for being too loud. “Lena?” Beside Kara, Lena holds out her hand. “Be careful. It shouldn't be hot but...” Kara deposits the machine, now slightly separated into two halves, into Lena's hand and ever curious green eyes begin to inspect.

That's when Alex hears the rustling.

“Uh… guys.” She turns toward the sound, slowly sliding her gun out of its holster. More rustling.

“I think,” Kara begins somewhere behind Alex, her super-hearing apparently ineffective whilst Lena Luthor is within touching distance. “you should be able to open it up enough to-”

“Hey!” Alex tries again, her voice a harsh, raised whisper. This time it grabs everyone's attention.

Including the thing doing the rustling.

Or, rather, things.

First, it's one, then three, and then suddenly it's eight.

“Oh, woah, hey, no. No, no.” Winn is already backing away, one arm outstretched and a finger pointing at the small, bipedal creatures as they emerge from the brush.

“Easy,” Alex warns, securing both hands around her gun. “Don't startle them.”

“They startled me first!” Winn bites back, looking scared and indignant all at once.

One of them makes a sound, prompting the others in the group to echo it. Their small, elongated heads twitch and turn in a manner that is oddly unsettling to witness.

“Well, unless you want them to startle you again by taking chunks out of you, I'd stay quiet.” Alex's advice is met with mostly silence. Winn is mumbling something about seeing how this played out in Jurassic Park, but Alex isn't really paying attention. She's too busy watching the dinosaurs and how they all turn their heads skyward in unison.

Begrudgingly, and with her gun pointed forward at the small gathering, Alex risks a glance upwards and sighs.

Kara is hovering over them, looking down at the dinosaurs in the same way one might observe newborn babies through the nursery window of a maternity ward.

“Compies!” Kara squeals, albeit quietly, but it's a definite squeal. A delighted squeal.

Sometimes, Alex thinks, she wishes she could slap Kara, just a little, and have it actually hurt Kara’s cheek instead of Alex’s hand.

********

Krypton had been home to various kinds of animals, some of which had been similar to those found on Earth – dogs – and others that were exceedingly different – drang, for example.

But they hadn't had dinosaurs on Krypton.

They'd had flame-dragons. Which Winn had argued were, “way cooler," when Kara had told him about them, and it's not that Kara doesn't think they were cool. She'd been fascinated by the beasts, despite the havoc they sometimes caused. She’d respected them and their power, their might.

Then they'd died alongside her planet.

When she'd landed on Earth, Kara had been terrified. Everything was so different. At first, there wasn't a single familiar thing beyond the fact that the people here seemed to resemble those back home. Which was, undeniably, comforting, but it had been the only thing. The Danvers hadn't had a dog and Kara spent those first few weeks strictly on the grounds of their property. For her own safety, as well as the safety of others.

Then, during a discussion over dinner one night, Alex had offhandedly mentioned the prehistoric creatures. Kara doesn't remember the comment, she thinks Alex might have been making fun of an older teacher, but she remembers the moment. Remembers asking about them and remembers Jeremiah pulling a book off one of the bookshelves and handing it to her.

The book was filled with illustrations and photographs of bones and skeletons. Kara had been so excited, she'd started rambling in Kryptonian. Jeremiah had chuckled, looking down at her with a warm smile and eyes to match, and told her to slow down.

Then she'd told the Danvers about the flame dragons and how she'd loved them. That she never thought she'd see anything like them again and how, right there in that book, she'd found some skewed but tangible piece of Krypton on this foreign planet.

Dinosaurs remind Kara of home.

So, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that she’s enjoying her time in the past a little too much. Not that she really connects the dots right away, not that Alex does either, and not that either Lena or Winn would know to. Which, in the meantime, kind of makes Kara look like a crazy person as she delights over things that could actually kill her sister and friends, but she can’t quite stop herself.

“It looks like I’ve got their attention,” Kara calls down from where’s she’s hovering. “I think they like me!” She grins, delighted. “Let me see if I can lead them away and then maybe we should try and find somewhere less populated.”

“That’s the first sane thing you’ve said since we got here,” Alex retorts, eyes and weapon still trained on the small dinosaurs.

Kara rolls her eyes but says nothing and instead glides forward a few feet to see what the pack of Compsognathus do in response. A giddy giggle bubbles free when their small heads follow her movements, their bodies shifting a moment later, and then Kara’s moving forward at a steady pace with a gaggle of tiny dinosaurs following in her wake.

Her enhanced hearing picks up Winn’s heavy sigh of relief, as well as the sound of Alex re-engaging the safety on her gun and the thump of Lena’s heart as it returns to its normal beat.

Which isn’t that weird a thing to focus on at all. It’s not completely strange that she actually does know what Lena’s normal heartbeat sounds like and can easily pick up imperceptible changes. After all, she can do that with anyone if she concentrates properly. Just because it’s second nature where Lena is concerned doesn’t  **mean** anything.

Except Kara knows it absolutely does mean something, but this is neither the time nor place to be thinking about that or how Kara had felt like she’d been thrown into the sun, in a good way, when Lena had told her she was brilliant.

She ducks under a thick tree branch that extends out into her path and considers how it’s the size of a tree trunk back in their own timeline. Everything here is so much bigger; the trees, the foliage, the bugs. It’s fascinating and she wishes she could take the time to enjoy it but understands why she can’t. She might still be invincible here, but the others definitely are not, and as much as Kara wants to zip around and find every kind of dinosaur she can - maybe take the time to paint them on a strip of bark using paint she makes out of the huge berries littered around - she understands how imperative it is that they fix the transporter and get home.

That's what the little black compact is  **supposed** to be. A prototype transporter, capable of opening a portal that leads to a sister-portal that would, theoretically, be one of many dotted around National City. The compact would require a series of numbers to be entered, numbers that would be linked to a specific activation tower that would open up a portal when its number was requested. Of course, there would be a time delay should people try to transport to the same location at the same time. Or maybe there would be multiple towers at one location. Lena hadn't quite figured that out yet.

This was supposed to have been a trial run. Transporting them from the D.E.O. to Lena's office at L-Corp. Which, of course, did not happen.

She’s been flying at a steady speed for a few minutes now and decides that she’s probably lead the compies far enough away. She waits to make sure all eight arrive safe and sound in the small clearing below her and takes a few seconds to marvel at them. Then with a wave and a whispered goodbye, Kara shoots skyward, ascending until she’s sure she’s out of their line of sight before heading back in the direction of Lena’s heartbeat.

After doing a quick surveillance of the area surrounding them, she touches down beside Winn, who jerks and curls his fingers into the material of his shirt at her sudden appearance. He turns his head to shoot her a look of disdain and she flashes him a small smile.

“I think I found somewhere that might be safe. It’s at the edge of a cliff. Well, actually, it’s over the edge of a cliff-”

“Excuse me?” Winn baulks. Kara rolls her eyes and continues.

“There’s a pretty large outcrop about halfway down the cliffside. Some trees for shade but I don’t think anything living can get there.”

“Okay,” Winn draws the words out, elongating it in a way that makes Kara fold her arms and raise an eyebrow at him. “But how are  **we** supposed to get there? You remember we can’t fly, right?”

Kara rolls her eyes again, Alex sighs, and Lena is the one to speak up.

“I presume Kara will carry us down one at a time,” Lena clarifies for him, pulling Kara’s gaze towards her and lifting the blonde’s lips into a smile. Kara nods her head and Winn’s expression clears as he mouths a silent ‘oh’ of understanding.

“Great,” Alex announces, obviously more than ready to start moving. “Sounds like a plan. Which way?”

Kara points east and Alex takes off, putting her and her gun at the head of the group. Winn wastes no time taking after her and Kara shoots Lena a somewhat sheepish smile before they follow.

Kara  **could ** fly. Scout ahead. In her defence, though, she hadn't seen any signs of life when she checked the area out, so she's pretty certain they're safe, and with Alex taking point that means she can protect them from the rear.

And it's not like it's  **awful ** walking with Lena.

“Bet you never thought you'd end up here when you found out about,” Kara gestures towards herself, towards the crest on her suit, “you know.” Lena raises her eyebrows and parts brightly painted lips to blow out a breath.

“Technically,” Lena begins with a smile, “I think this has less to do with your being Supergirl and more to do with you leaving Winn and me alone in the same room for more than five minutes.” Her smile twists into a cocky grin that displays not an ounce of shame and Kara’s ensuing laughter is loud and full.

Ahead of them, Alex shoots Kara a look of warning over her shoulder. Kara manages to bubble down to a chuckle and then clears her throat to cut the sound off completely.

“But no.” Lena continues after a few paces, drawing Kara's gaze to her again. “I can't say I expect to end up  **here** . At the top of a skyscraper, maybe. Flying through the night sky. The Fortress. But not here.” Lena sounds thoughtful and Kara wonders just how many times Lena has considered this. Especially the night flying. She files that away for later. “I should apologise. It's partly my fault that we ended up here.”

“Lena, no.” Kara jumps to her defence like, well, like Supergirl. “Don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known and neither could Winn.” She hears Lena's heavy sigh and frowns, coming to a standstill. “Not everything is always your fault,” Kara insists gently, reaching out to grip Lena’s elbow to ensure that she stops as well. That she takes in what Kara is saying and understands.

Lena's eyes are a brilliant shade of green and Kara can feel the way they sweep over her face, gaze heavy. Searching.

And Kara almost finds it hard to breathe under the weight of Lena’s stare.

“I don’t know what I did to inspire such loyalty but-” Lena begins and Kara was taught that it’s rude to interrupt, but she’s learned that, sometimes, there are exceptions to that rule.

“You were just… you, Lena.” Kara smiles softly, huffing a laugh and lifting her shoulder in a half shrug. “You didn’t need to do anything except be you.”

Lena’s expression is unguarded and open, and Kara watches emotions play across her face like water over rocks. Shifting and changing, mesmerizing. Like she could stand here staring at her forever.

She’s only broken from her reverie by a rather large shadow passing over them.

“Flying!” Kara hears Winn yelp from up ahead. “Fly- flying! That one is, that one can fly!”

She and Lena look up in unison, just in time to watch the huge pterosaur open its beak and emit a screeching sound that sends Winn down to the ground.

“Oh!” Kara beams. “It’s a Pteranodon!” It’s huge. Its wingspan looks to be about fifteen feet, maybe more, and she spends a moment marvelling at the sheer size of it. “Did you know that scientists think-”

“ **Kara** !!” Alex sounds like she’s two seconds away from being very, very annoyed. Lena looks uneasy. Winn is still on the ground.

“Right.” Kara winces, sheepish. “Sorry.”

********

Kara Danvers is adorable.

Lena had surmised as much during their first meeting, though it had been a fleeting thought to which she hadn’t given much attention. Lena had taken in Kara’s attentive demeanour and witnessed the way she’d introduced herself, so uncertain, as if she wasn’t sure what she was doing there. And adorable was the first word that came to mind.

Of course, Kara is much more than that.

She’s determined and brave. Smart and funny. She is an exemplary friend - granted, Lena doesn’t have much experience with such things, but she’s confident Kara would still retain that title even if she did - and a professional animal lover. She’s kind and compassionate, and Lena has never met anyone quite like her.

It was only after she’d spent time - days, weeks, months - considering all of those things that she returned to ‘adorable’ and realised that perhaps her feelings were becoming a little more than what could be considered strictly platonic.

However, this is neither the time nor the place to be thinking about such things. Not while there are much more prominent, larger problems with sharper teeth surrounding them.

Still, Lena does find a moment to revisit the very same thought she’d had during their first meeting and even her level of genius is having trouble working out which is more adorable; Kara being Kara or Supergirl behaving absolutely gleefully over real-life dinosaurs.

It's a tough choice and she decides she'll have to come back to it later. There are more pressing matters at hand.

The giant Pteranodon flying overhead, for one.

“Time to go.” Kara flashes her a smile and they take off towards Alex, Winn, and the edge of the cliff Kara had been talking about. Winn has managed to make it to his feet and everyone seems to silently agree that Kara should take him down first. She hooks her arms under his armpits and flies straight up with an "Alley oop!”

He only squeals a little.

Alex is next. She throws her arms around Kara’s shoulders while Kara winds her own around Alex's middle and they move with such synchronicity that Lena thinks they must have done this a hundred times.

Which, she supposes, they probably have.

Alex doesn't so much as bat an eyelash as she's lifted skyward and then down over the cliffside, and it's in the brief interim where Lena finds herself alone that she realises she's only actually flown with Supergirl twice before. Though, she isn't sure either of those really counts, since she'd been unconscious the first time and too blinded by her impending death to have actually registered what was happening the second.

She watches Kara fly up over the cliff edge again, floating across the prehistoric soil until she drops down in front of Lena with a wide smile.

“Ready?”

“Ah,” Lena’s smile is uncertain, green eyes darting as Kara approaches, and just like that she is most certainly not ready. “Yes, I just, um…”

“Lena.” Kara’s voice is soft as she reaches out to rest her hand on Lena’s shoulder with a small frown. “You’re safe with me.” Kara’s posture shifts a little until she isn’t standing so tall anymore and with a start, Lena realises that Kara genuinely thinks she is concerned for her own safety.

“Oh, I know that.” She lifts her own hand then, rushing to reassure the hero, and lightly grips Kara’s elbow. “I’m not very fond of heights, that’s all.” Divulging one’s fears isn’t exactly a trait the Luthors are known for.

“Oh.” Kara’s frown deepens and then disappears entirely. “Well, then just hold on and close your eyes. I’ll tell you when it’s safe to open them.” She beams at Lena and holds out her hand.

Lena’s eyes dart to the offered appendage, then back to brilliant blue eyes, and she knows there’s no safer place to be than in Supergirl’s hands. Still, she swallows hard right before she slips her hand into Kara’s.

“Here.” Kara’s free hand leads her arm around Lena’s waist and Lena does her very best not to react when she feels that hand press against the small of her back. “You can stand on my feet. Might make you feel a bit more stable.” She gently urges Lena to close the remaining distance between them and Lena gives in with a single step that brings them toe to toe.

Kara’s smile is almost goofy as she glances down between them and taps her booted toes against the dark soil.

“Hop on, Miss Luthor.”

With a roll of her eyes, Lena complies, grabbing onto Kara’s shoulders and then, one by one, lifting her feet until they’re settled on famously familiar red boots.

She can feel the muscles of Kara’s shoulders beneath her hands, feels them move as Kara winds both arms around Lena’s middle to hold her secure against her body. And when Lena looks up from where her eyes had been watching her own hands, she falls headfirst into twin pools of crystalline blue. Pools that shimmer and smile, and make Lena feel safe in a way that’s so unlike anything she’s ever felt before.

Briefly, she wonders if this is how everyone feels when they find themselves in Supergirl’s grasp. Well, aside from criminals and tyrants, but even then, Lena wonders.

“Are you ready?” Kara’s voice is quiet and her mouth is very close, and even with all the hugs they’ve shared, Lena doesn’t think they’ve ever been this close before. “I don’t want to rush you, but we’re being watched.” Kara rolls her eyes towards her hairline and Lena looks up to be reminded that, yes, there’s a giant sky dinosaur still circling overhead.

"Right. Yes. I guess we should probably- oh!" Lena's fingers curl into talons, their tips trying to dig into the marble beneath them as she feels her body break away from gravity.

“It’s okay,” she hears Kara chuckle, “I’ve got you.”

Lena slams her eyelids closed and automatically tries to pull herself closer to Kara, a wave of fear sweeping over her. She can feel the raised crest of The House of El pressing against her through her shirt and tries to focus on the feeling of strong arms around her as she drags in one deep, shaky breath after another.

“Almost there.”

She knows Kara would never let her fall, but the primitive part of her brain still ruled by the fight or flight response is telling her to panic. That this is wrong. That if humans were meant to fly, scientists would have managed to genetically engineer wings by now.

Kryptonians are different, of course. Kara, Lena thinks, had been born for this.

“We’re over the edge. It’s actually really beautiful down there, if you want to look.”

“No,” Lena barks, quick and immediate, her heart pounding in her ears. “No, thank you. I’ll just take your word for it.”

“I wish I’d brought a camera,” Kara sighs, her breath disturbing the fine hairs at the top of Lena’s head. “It’s all so… amazing.” There’s a quiet sadness in Kara’s voice, a wistful kind of longing that Lena doesn’t understand but makes a mental note to ask her about once they’re out of this mess.

There’s a few more seconds of airtime and then a quick warning right before they touch down, and Lena can feel that they’re on solid ground now but finds her hands momentarily incapable of uncurling themselves out of the death grip they have on her best friend.

She does open her eyes though.

And sees the brilliant blue sky reflected in the ones looking back at her. Looking at her with such concern, such care that, for a second, Lena forgets where she is. Forgets the dire situation surrounding them and the very reason she’s in Supergirl’s arms at all.

And they are  **quite** the arms, but she knew that already.

They’re still so close, Kara seemingly just as unwilling to let go, though whether that’s by choice or not is a mystery and Lena feels an all-too-familiar tingling in her extremities. Like butterflies in her stomach, only everywhere.

She’s felt this before.

She feels this every time she’s close to Kara. Every time they share a moment that so very nearly turns into something else.

It’s almost like the buzz of static, she thinks, right as her gaze slips to Kara’s mouth, and then there’s no time for thinking or doing because someone is clearing their throat.

They both look over to find Alex standing a few feet away, one hand resting idly on the butt of her gun as her fingers tap impatiently against the holster. Winn is pretending to look at his tablet, but Lena can see him glancing over the top of it.

“There,” Kara says, suddenly sounded breathless, as though the flight had winded her, but she smiles at Lena as her arms drop away. “Safe and sound.”

It’s a few seconds too late when Lena realises she should also let go of Kara, just long enough to make the back of her neck burn. She takes two steps backwards and pulls out the troublesome device once again, holding it up and gently separating the bottom part from where it had been connected to the control board.

There are no sparks this time and Lena’s eyes track every millimetre of space inside before she spots something and goes very still.

“What?” Kara asks, appearing at her side. “Is it- can you fix it?”

When Lena doesn’t answer immediately, Winn starts to panic.

“Oh, man. Oh, man! This is- I was not built to survive being stuck in prehistoric times, okay?” He presses a hand to the front of his sweater vest. “I’m a simple guy, I like tech and-and take-out, and indoor plumbing and I can’t-”

“Winn?” Lena glances over at him, cutting him off with her gaze before she even speaks. “Do you have any electrical tape with you?”

Winn blinks owlishly at her, then sticks a hand into his pocket to retrieve a half-finished roll of the aforementioned tape.

“What?” He throws at Kara, affronted when she stares at him with a deep, confused frown. “A guy never knows when he might need some electrical tape.”

He walks it over to Lena and hands it off and she sits down on the rocky outcrop to twist the two pieces further apart. There’s a wire inside that is missing some of its coating and Lena can only assume it had touched something it shouldn’t and caused a short.

She uses her teeth to rip off a piece of tape and carefully wraps it around the spot, making sure it’s tight and neat. Once she’s finished, she brings the two pieces back together and snaps them back into place. Alex, Winn, and Kara all look down at her as she blows out a breath and hovers her finger over the power button.

She presses it.

The three LEDs light up one by one and Lena’s brief anxiety breaks, the corners of her mouth turning up into a smile.

Alex releases the breath she’d been holding while Winn tries not to pass out, and Kara stands there grinning at her.

“I knew you could do it.” Her gaze is soft and proud, and Lena warms under it.

“Think you can help me stitch it back together?” She offers the compact to Kara, who takes it and uses her heat vision to melt the edges back together, before cooling it off with a quick gust of air. And Lena, like always, marvels at the things her friend can do.

“Does that ever get old?” she says, to no one in particular.

Alex and Winn reply in unison.

“No.”

Lena hums, thoughtful.

“Ready to go home?” she asks, just as pebbles rain down on them. They all look up.

“Seriously?” Alex draws her gun and aims it, almost half-heartedly, at the cliff edge.

“But you led them away!” Winn whines, panicked.

“Aww,” Kara coos, floating up until she’s on the same level as the tiny dinosaurs that had surprised them not too long ago. “Do you think they’re going to miss me?”

And Lena watches as Supergirl reaches out and strokes her fingers along the nose of the nearest compsognathus. It’s so gentle, reverent, and would be incredibly dangerous to anyone else. Only the animal doesn’t even try to bite her. It just blinks at Supergirl and chirps.

“Kara….” Alex’s tone is insistent but careful. Like she knows exactly what’s going on in Kara’s head right now and Lena sees Kara glance down at them before looking back to the dinosaurs. She quietly tells them goodbye as she descends, chin lifted and eyes remaining on them until her feet touch the ground. “You okay?”

Kara nods, expression morphing from remorseful to its usual neutrally pleasant smile.

“Totally. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m  **starving** .”

And Lena can’t help but chuckle as she thumbs in a series of numbers and waits for the portal to open in front of them. There’s a palpable sense of relief when it swirls into view, a half circle of colours that vibrate in a way that hurts the eye if you look at it too long.

Winn scampers through first, followed by Alex, and Lena is next in line but she stops short right before entering the portal to glance back over her shoulder.

Kara is up in the air again, hovering, looking around her and taking it all in one last time. Lena sees her let out a breath and nod to herself, short and resolute, and then Lena steps forward before Kara can see her watching.

~*~

The D.E.O. is just as they’d left it, with people going about their work and not a blip of worry about the place. Clearly, no one else knew anything had gone wrong and the four of them were inclined to keep it that way.

J’onn had caught up with Alex as she was leaving and expressed his concern over technical issues with the transporter because he’d tried to reach out with his mind to make sure everything was okay and couldn’t find them.

Alex had laughed and told him she’d explain it over drinks sometime, but he didn’t need to worry. That the transporter needed to have some more kinks worked out before any of them tried to use it again.

Kara had been called away to aid in a firefight happening down at the docks.

Winn had immediately left for home and collapsed into bed.

And Lena, after talking to Alex, had made two different phone calls before leaving the D.E.O. and, for once, instructing her driver to take her home rather than to L-Corp.

~*~

“It’s really weird,” Kara’s voice catches Lena’s attention and she looks up from where she’s sitting on the couch in what used to be Cat Grant’s office. She has front page proofs scattered all over the coffee table and wears a curious look on her face as she watches Kara Danvers stroll into her office, hands stuffed into the pockets of her slacks, long after everyone else has gone home. She stops in front of Lena, who tilts her head to maintain eye contact. “But my apartment is full of dinosaurs.”

Understanding dawns on Lena’s face as she looks down and away with a smile as Kara takes a seat beside her.

“Small ones,” Kara adds, needlessly. Lena drops the proof she’s holding and turns so that she’s facing Kara, pulling her leg up onto the couch and draping her arm along the back. “Made of plastic.”

“That is so strange,” is all she says, eyes widening in mock seriousness before she breaks and starts to laugh. Kara joins her and, after a few seconds, she lifts her right hand and stretches it across her torso so that she can rest it over Lena’s on the back of the couch.

The touch cuts Lena’s laughter off at the knees and she swallows, glancing at their hands before forcing her attention back to Kara.

“Thank you,” Kara says, squeezing her fingers around Lena’s and then letting go. “I love them. All of them.” She pauses. “How many of them are there? Because I tried to count and kept forgetting what number I was on.”

“I’m glad,” Lena chuckles and there’s a moment of silence during which Lena can hear the buzz of static start to whir. "I can’t take all the credit, though.” She shifts uncomfortably, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. “It was Alex’s idea.”

“Alex?” Kara sounds as bemused as she looks and Lena spares a second to allow herself to think, once again, about how adorable Kara is. “Why would Alex-”

“I asked her what she thought,” Lena cuts in, a sheepish smile wrinkling her nose. “She said it would be a… well, I don’t want to quote her exactly, for a number of reasons, so let’s just say that she said it would be a sure-fire way of getting your attention.”

“My attention?” Kara parrots back, even more confused now. She lets out a small laugh. “My attention for what?”

Lena lets out a sigh, but it isn't one of frustration or annoyance. It's shaky and uncertain. Her fingers tap nervously against the curve of her neck.

“I was thinking maybe… a date?" She finishes with a flourish of her fingers and lets her hand fall heavily against her thigh.

And it’s almost funny - would be funny if Lena weren’t so nervous - the way Kara’s lips part and her mouth falls open.

“Oh,” is all she says, a small gasp of a sound, and Lena tries very hard not to say anything. Not to assume anything. To wait for Kara to catch up. “Like a, like a date-date?”

Lena nods, slowly.

“Yes. The kind that traditionally involves food and a movie, but would instead involve the two of us, the night sky, and National City’s Observatory?” She offers it as a question, uncertainty leaking into her voice.

Kara stares at her for an endless few seconds and then asks, “There’ll still be food, right?”

“Of course,” Lena laughs, heart racing. “Whatever you want. I’ll even bring wine.”

“ **Whatever** I want?” Kara asks, adjusting her glasses in a gesture so familiar it makes Lena’s heart swell.

“Pizza, potstickers, an orchestra. All you have to do is name it.” Lena lifts her arm up to the back of the couch again and leans her elbow into it, resting her head against her palm. Kara hums, low in her throat, like she’s thinking, turning away from Lena and then back again, the motion scooting her body closer.

“Well, then,” Kara reaches for her glasses and carefully takes them off, placing them atop the table. “As long as you’re there, I’m good.” She lifts one side of her mouth in a half-smile. “Nothing else required.”

And there’s a heavy beat of silence before Lena beams and reaches out to curl her hand around Kara’s neck and pull her in for a kiss destined to be the first of many.


End file.
